This invention relates generally to coin handling devices and particularly to a coin guiding device having a movable element disposed in a coin path for guiding the coin into one of three selected paths.
Coin guiding devices which include a movable element disposed in a coin path for guiding the coin into one of three selected paths are known in the prior art. The device believed to be the most pertinent is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,961. This patent reveals a pivoted gate disposed in a coin path and having a central passage and opposed side faces. The gate is movable from a vertical working position, in which a coin is directed through the central passage, to one of two angled positions in which a coin is deflected by one or the other side face into one of two alternative paths. While this device has the versatility of directing coins into three different paths it lacks the capability of directing a coin into a path transverse to the original path. In addition, it must utilize a gate sufficiently thick to provide a through passage which is space-consuming in an environment where space is at a premium.
The present invention solves these and other problems in a manner not revealed in the known prior art.